The Oncoming Storm
by Renchikara
Summary: AU. At seven years of age, having suffered a dreadful tragedy, Percy Jackson is taken away by the Wolf Goddess Lupa to train away from both the Roman and Greek camps, alongside Jason Grace. Jason and Percy are brought up by Lupa, learning that the two of them will either have powerful friendship... or they'll become the worst of enemies.
1. Chapter 1

**I really shouldn't be posting any new stories, but I have writer's block for all my others so here goes...**

**Anyway, welcome to my new story!**

**(Yes, I'm using one of the Doctor's names as the title to the story. But as Percy and Jason's powers develop, you'll see why it as named as it is.)**

**This story will mainly focus on Jason and Percy growing up, but will probably mention a lot of the other main characters too (Nico and Annabeth will probably be in it as main characters too). Any pairings that might be included as the characters mature will be cannon (Percy/Annabeth, Jason/Piper, Frank/Hazel, Leo/Calypso etc.). The story starts with them being quite young, but they'll grow up pretty quickly so don't worry about that!**

**Anywho, I guess that's it for now... enjoy and remember to review!**

**Allons-y~**

* * *

**One**

'She says it's an ordinary day out,' Thalia whispers, knowing her little brother can't understand her. 'But I'm scared. So many things could go wrong. I wish Dad would come back and sort her out already.'

'Ngyaaang!' Jason gurgles, waving a yellow rattle around in his sister's face, a big smile on his toddler face.

'Yeah, you're right, buddy,' Thalia grins. 'Nothing to worry about. We're good.' She reaches over to pat Jason on the head, ruffling his blonde hair, gazing fondly at her sibling. 'You wait in here, okay? I'm going to see if Mom needs any help packing the car. And don't eat any more staples,' she warns, her electric blue eyes focusing on the newly formed scar on Jason's lip.

Thalia finds their mother in the kitchen, buttering sandwiches for their day out today. The seven-year-old skips over to the woman rather cautiously, unaware of the mood her mother is in.

'Hello, Thalia,' her mother says shortly.

'Are we going soon?' Thalia asks.

'Once I've finished with the lunch. Go and get your brother ready.'

Thalia nods, still nervous. They _never _go out together, so why now? Is her mom finally trying to make it up to her for being so mean in the past?

'C'mon Jason, let's get you in the car!' Thalia calls as she bounds back into the lounge to find Jason trying to bite the top of the rattle off.

'Where?' Jason squeals. He has easily mastered basic one syllable words quite quickly.

'We're going out for the day, remember?' Thalia reminds him, sitting down on her knees so she can pick him up and place him on her lap. 'We're going to a big building. A temple. A long way away. We're going to have a fun day.'

'Fun!' Jason barks and Thalia smiles. 'Fun! Fun! Fun!'

'Keep it down!' their mother yells from the kitchen. Thalia's expression darkens.

'Come on, Jason,' she sighs. 'We should go.'

* * *

'Big!' Jason explains, tugging onto Thalia's sleeve and pointing with his other hand at the building.

'Yeah, you're right,' Thalia laughs, gazing around in amazement at this temple. The tall marble white pillars capture her attention as she gazes around. She remembers when her father came back when she was five, and how he had changed a bit from when he was last here, and how he had sat Thalia on his lap and told Thalia about the different gods. Thalia wonders what the children of Athena would think of this magnificent building. Children of Hera would love it even more, because it would be their mother's temple, but then... Thalia remembers her father saying that his wife Hera, or Juno as she sometimes wishes to be known, doesn't have mortal children, or children with anyone other than her husband because she is the goddess of marriage. But Thalia is seven, and all this seems too complicated to her. It gives her a headache just thinking about it. She's not sure about whether the monsters are real, and whether her daddy really is a very powerful god who can zap bad things so they can go away (at least, that's the extent of his powers the way Thalia sees it). She just doesn't want Jason to get hurt. Jason's the single most important thing in her life now that her daddy has left her alone with her crazy mother. Jason's all she's got left.

'Mom? Can we get ice cream?' Thalia asks hopefully, watching her mother's expression carefully. Jason's head begins nodding enthusiastically.

'What? Oh, yes. I suppose. Here.' Thalia and Jason's mother seems distracted as she hands them a couple of dollars to go and treat themselves. Thalia leads her little brother over to the ice cream van and asks him what he wants. Jason squeals excitedly and points at the chocolate ice cream on the sign. Thalia grins.

'Don't take too long or it'll start to melt,' she warns Jason as she licks her vanilla ice cream, watching him take a huge chunk out of it and come away with chocolate smeared all round his mouth.

'Thalia, Jason, come on,' their mother calls. Her gaze still seems far away, as if she's not really with them today. Thalia wonders how much alcohol her mother had to drink this morning, and worries about whether they'll be okay on the drive home. But they were fine coming here, and her mother seems to have no headache and is mostly displaying the signs of being sober, so Thalia lets it slide.

'Ngyaaaang!' Jason says happily, twirling his ice cream in his hands without a care in the world.

'I like this place too,' Thalia whispers to her brother, pretending that he is speaking a secret language that only she can understand. But Thalia is lying. Although there are many people here and their mother has actually taken them out for the day (and on a school day at that) and this is a nice historic building, Thalia feels cold. She wonders why. Maybe it's because this is her daddy's wife's temple, because she knows her daddy's wife probably doesn't like her. Is Hera like an evil stepmother? Is that why Thalia feels so unwelcome?

Thalia's mother is rummaging through her bag, trying to look for something. Eventually, she looks up, but she doesn't look annoyed.

'I must have left our lunch in the car,' she says with a sigh that seems almost false. 'Thalia... you couldn't be a dear and go and get it for us, could you?'

Not many parents let seven-year-old children walk back through security gates and into car parks, trusted with car keys, to go and fetch something for them, but Thalia and Jason's mother has never been a good mother. Thalia is nervous. The look on her mother's face is really starting to creep the seven-year-old out, and the thing is, her mother is staring directly at Jason.

'Mommy?' Jason asks, looking so very innocent and young.

'Mom?' Thalia says.

'Run along now, Thalia,' their mother says, not taking her eyes of Jason. The little boy looks to his big sister for reassurance, but Thalia just looks hopelessly back. She wants to hug him before she goes, but she thinks that it will look ridiculous and her mother will get mad because she'll suspect her daughter doesn't trust her. Which is completely true. Thalia doesn't want to leave Jason alone with their mother in case something bad happens.

'Thalia. Go. Now,' her mother says firmly.

'I'll be right back, Jason,' Thalia whispers to her younger sibling, praying to her father (if he really is a god) that her little brother will be fine.

Thalia races as fast as she can to the car. She needs to be quick, because she can't bear to leave Jason for a long period of time. Up in the sky, a dark cloud is forming, and Thalia's young brain wonders whether the gods (if there are any) are angry. Maybe her daddy is angry because she wasn't supposed to leave her little brother.

_I'm coming, Jason, _Thalia thinks. _Don't worry, I'm coming back._

The rain begins to pour down, gentle at first, but gradually getting harder and harder and Thalia weaves in and out of the people all running for cover.

Thalia's mother stands at the foot of the temple, and as Thalia draws closer her mother falls to her knees, arms outstretched and raised, her face pointed to the stormy sky, rain splattering al over her face.

'O Hera, Queen of of the Heavens,' her mother chants. 'Accept my child, Jason Grace. He is yours to do as you wish.'

'JASON!' Thalia screams, her eyes desperately scanning the area for signs of her brother. 'WHERE'S JASON?'

Her mother shows no sign that she has heard her. She leans down a little and begins to rock back and forth, eyes closed.

Thalia runs around the pillars of the temple, looking everywhere. There are no other people in sight, as everyone else has taken shelter in the coffee shop next to the temple. Thalia's mother stays where she is, still in a hypnotised trance.

Thalia runs down the steps towards her mother and grabs her roughly on the shoulders. 'WHERE IS HE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?'

Thalia's mother opens her eyes and blinks. 'The... the queen has accepted the offering. They are beyond our mortal reach.'

'WHERE'S JASON?!' Thalia's shrieks hysterically.

'He's gone now,' her mother says, nodding. 'That's what she told me, he's gone now, he's the offering...' she trails off, babbling nonsense. Thalia backs away, furious tears welling in her eyes and a large lump in her throat.

'Bring him back,' she chokes.

'Not coming back, not coming back,' Thalia's mother says.

'BRING HIM BACK!'

'Gone, gone, gone...'

Thalia's hand flies to her mouth as she chokes on a hysterical sob. 'No,' she moans, her voice muffled under her hand. 'No, no, no, no, no...'

* * *

A few hundred miles away at this exact moment, an argument is going on in a small apartment kitchen. But the argument is not what is important. What is important is the small boy in the living room next to the kitchen, only a toddler like Jason. He sits at a terribly stained coffee table, drawing a picture with some crayons. There is an angry red mark on his cheek that is stinging quite a lot (hence the reason his mother is attacking his stepfather so well in the argument) and there are tears in the boy's sea green eyes, but they don't spill. His unruly raven black hair is sticking up in all directions and he has blue paint stains on his t-shirt from kindergarten today, which his teacher wasn't happy about. But he's used to getting yelled at, so he didn't mind too much.

He draws his mommy first, with a beautiful face and long brown hair (he doesn't draw the few grey hairs because he doesn't want his mommy to be stressed in the drawing). He then draws himself holding his mommy's hand, and he makes sure that both of them are smiling. He draws then at their summer cabin that his mommy takes him to, the one where they go and no one else is allowed to come. He's very, very young, but he knows what he wants in his dream world, which is what he's drawing here on the picture.

Smelly Gabe (as the little boy likes to call him) isn't here to boss them around or get drunk or play poker or hit him when he gets mad. The little boy smiles and wipes the tears from his eyes.

'Percy,' comes his mommy's voice, and he looks up to see her standing at the doorway, a sad smile on her face, tears in her eyes. 'Come on, sweetheart. We're going to go to the cabin for a few day. Okay?'

'Yay!' Percy exclaims, clambering to his feet and bounding over to his mother to give her a big hug. He shows her his picture, looking very pleased with himself.

'It's beautiful, Percy,' his mother tells him, bending down to plant a kiss on his forehead.

Percy giggles and races into his room to pack all his toys (there aren't that many because Gabe is always complaining that Percy leaves them all around the apartment).

While his mother is getting ready, Percy continues to work on his drawing, biting down thoughtfully on the crayons even though his mother told him not to eat crayons because because they are bad for him, and additionally they taste yucky.

Gabe walks in with a beer and slumps down on the couch, switching the TV on. He glares at the small boy, wondering in his small, selfish mind how Sally can love the stupid ADHD dyslexic little shit.

'Ngyaaang!' Percy exclaims happily, gazing at the sun in his drawing.

'Shut the hell up, you little pigpiss,' Gabe snaps at the boy, turning the volume up on the 18 horror movie he's watching. Percy stares at the screen, transfixed, as a person promptly gets decapitated by an axe and then he begins to mew in distress.

'Oh, for the love of...' Gabe gives the little boy the finger, wondering how a child can be so annoying. He is completely oblivious to the fact that Percy is exactly sixteen years too young to be watching something as scary as this.

'Yngaaaaaa!' Percy wails.

'Percy, honey! What's wrong?' Sally calls as she walks into the room. She catches sight of the film on the screen and switches the TV off in anger. 'Gabe, how could you be so irresponsible? He's two years old!'

'I was watching my fucking movie!' Gabe yells at her angrily, seriously considering getting off his lazy ass to switch it back on if Sally won't do it for him.

'Come on Percy, we're leaving now,' Sally says calmly to her son, shooting Gabe an icy look as she leads her crying little boy out the room.

'Oh! Don't bother switching the fucking thing back on then!' Gabe shouts after her. 'I'll just do it my God damn self!'

'Meanie,' Percy mumbles as he looks back at the house as Sally bundles him into the car.

'Take no notice of him, sweetheart,' Sally murmurs as she straps him into his seat. 'We're going to have a nice weekend, okay?'

'Okay!' Percy nods his head enthusiastically.

* * *

It's dark by the time they get there, but before they get inside the cabin, Percy decides to go and say hello to the residents of his favourite rock pool.

His mother tells him to be careful because it is quite deep, and Percy being the young toddler that he is is at a liability to fall in. Whenever they come to the cabin, he always comes to say hello to the crabs and various other sea creatures that live in it. Percy likes watching them, but not for too long, because his ADHD makes him quite a restless child and that generally means he'll have to go and explore elsewhere. But he's tired now (despite the sleep in the car) so he'll just say hi and then he'll go to bed.

'Heyo,' Percy says, which is his toddler way of saying hello. He dips his hand in and waves it around, reaching out to touch the cold seaweed drifting around in it. From deep within it's depths, Percy sees two faces underwater. Two young women giggle and smile at him, waving. Hesitantly, Percy waves back, not wondering why they can breathe underwater because his two-year-old mind isn't quite able to comprehend this anomaly.

'Percy,' his mother calls, poking her head around the cabin door to call him inside. He stumbles over to her, tripping a little, and races indoors to play with his toys on the rug in the main room beside the big hearth. Percy sees another face in the flames, another young girl maybe about twelve, but only for a moment. He reaches out tentatively to touch the fire before his mother quickly stops him.

'No, honey. Fire is hot, darling,' Sally says. 'Don't touch.'

'Okay,' Percy replies.

'Are you hungry, baby? Come on, I'll make dinner.'

That night in his dreams, Percy dreams about another little boy. This child is small, like him, roughly the same age, but he has blue eyes and neat, tidy blonde hair, and this child is all alone in a forest.

The little boy in the dream is crying out for someone. Percy cannot quite understand the boy, because the other child is only young, like him, and because he is crying, his words are barely comprehensible. Something like... _Tha... Thals... Thalo? Thalio? Thalia?_

'YNGAAAAA!' the boy cries pitifully.

'Enough of that,' comes a cold, clear voice. 'A Roman Centurion is orderly. Stand tall, young Jason Grace.'

The boy sniffles and wipes his eyes, turning around, searching for the owner of the voice.

'Hera has entrusted you to my care,' says the female voice. 'If you are strong, I will train you. If not...'

'Thalia!' Jason wails.

'The Greeks are not needed now, though one will be soon. Though it is not the one you speak of,' says the voice, and out of the trees steps an enormous, beautiful female wolf, watching Jason with intense amber eyes. Jason freezes, watching the animal, transfixed.

'Hello, Jason Grace. I am Lupa,' says the wolf.

When Percy wakes up, he doesn't remember the dream.

* * *

**Don't worry, abusive Gabe won't be in it for too long, but his role is crucial, especially in the next chapter. I think this story's safe as a T (no need for an M, to be honest) so... yeah.**

**Anyway, as I said, remember to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who followed and favourited, but seriously, no reviews? I need reviews, people!**

**I've shown a bit of Annabeth's life in this chapter, as her part in the story is important, and Nico will probably come in a lot, later on.**

**Anyway, allons-y!**

* * *

**Two**

Getting into a fight with her dad was not on her agenda, but it happens anyway.

According to Annabeth's father, the giant scorpions are the final straw. Her baby brothers are apparently in too much danger while she is around. So now Annabeth packs her rucksack with everything she thinks will be needed (well she _is_ quite an intelligent child if she does say so herself) and prepares for a runaway. Her heart is pounding. She can't believe she's finally doing it.

She's been planning it for a while, but actually doing it is a different matter. It's terrifying. She wonders whether more and more monsters will attack now. Probably. Well, it's not as if she could ever rely on humans to properly protect her anyway.

Seven years old and she's going to be a runaway. Some life.

Okay, so the scorpions weren't too bad. Annabeth was upstairs when they arrived, and she heard her stepmom's scream from the kitchen. Three of them had swarmed the house, all intent on finding the demigod inside. Yes, _demigod _(Annabeth's dad had already explained that part to her. Not the _sit-down-on-my-knee-an-let's-talk-about-this _talk, but something along those lines). Annabeth doesn't know what to think. She's in a similar situation to Thalia Grace, exactly five years ago. Because Annabeth is now seven, and she's not sure about these 'gods', but if they do exist then that would certainly explain the monsters. A lot.

'Go away!' Annabeth had yelled, sticking her head out of her bedroom window. The scorpions had swarmed a few feet beneath her, their deadly tails swinging wildly in the air. Her dad ended up firing one of his prize rifles from his collection in the basement, but it did nothing because of the thick shields on the the scorpions. In the end, Annabeth's stepmom ended up mixing many different cleaning products into a bucket like bleach and she tipped it out of Annabeth's window.

That got rid of the scorpions.

But the whole incident had greatly upset the Chase family, and the family row became inevitable. Annabeth didn't want to be a part of it. She just wanted to go back to her room so she could continue drawing pictures of the Colosseum. But her dad dragged her into it anyway.

'You were antagonising them, Annabeth,' he told her when she entered the kitchen to look for a pencil sharpener. 'Every time a monster comes, you always yell at them.'

'I tell them to go away,' Annabeth said stonily. 'I want them to leave me alone.'

'We all want that. We want them to leave this whole family alone,' her stepmom said, clutching onto the twin boys.

_Maybe they'll leave you all alone if I leave you alone, _Annabeth thought, but she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she said, 'It's not my fault they come.' Even though it is. But she can't help being a demigod. She can't help any of this.

One of the boys began to cry, and the other one started immediately afterwards. Annabeth's stepmom sighed and carried them out the room, leaving Annabeth and her dad glaring at each other.

* * *

_The monsters will stop coming now._

That's all Annabeth writes. No farewell. Maybe if she actually finds a home one day, she'll write another letter, but until then, this note will do. She leaves it on the kitchen counter and quietly sneaks out the back door.

Throughout the night, Annabeth runs, and she doesn't stop except occasionally to take a drink from the bottle of water she brought with her. She reaches a forest finally, and she thinks nothing of it as she leaves the town behind her and escapes into the trees. Annabeth is good at running. She always excelled at PE in school, so this should be no problem. Her stamina is great. She'll be fine as long as she keeps moving until she is absolutely exhausted.

She runs on into the morning, leaving the forest and back into a neighbourhood. She stays in shadows, in alleyways, out of people's sight mostly. Reports of her disappearance might already be on the news as her father probably called the police the minute he realised she wasn't in her bed.

At night time, she finally crashes in a shed. There are no lights in the house, which tells her the people living there are away on holiday or it is vacant, but she doesn't want to break in when the shed is unlocked and comfy enough as it is. She changes into the pyjamas she's brought with her and goes to sleep.

She's packed food that will last her for at least a week, as well as enough money that should last for... well, she doesn't really want to think about that. It's enough for now. She's focusing on that.

The next morning, she's off again. She needs to leave the town and get away to some other city. In the shed, she has found a nice big hammer that's not too heavy and she decides it's going to become her weapon until she finds a better one. And so, the hammer comes with her.

Two weeks later, Annabeth is stealing food to survive. Her money is half gone on bus fares and such. She has seen TVs in cafés and and knows that she has been reported missing on the news. But she's come quite far now. She's smart for a seven-year-old. She doesn't waste her precious money on food, but instead steals food and stays out of sight.

_'Annabeth, sweetheart,' _her father says on the TV in the shop window Annabeth is passing. The small girl notes that he actually looks quite sad. _'Please, if you can hear this, and if you are able to, come home. Darling, we love you so much...'_

Annabeth walks away, missing the tear that trickles down her father's face.

* * *

_'YOU LITTLE SHIT!'_

_ Percy's head slams against the table, forehead first. He screams in fright and pain, blood from his new head wound already trickling into his eyes._

_ 'MOMMY!' he wails, desperate to see the one person who can end this torture._

_ Gabe pulls viciously at the hair on the back on Percy's head, pulling the little boy back away from the table. With one vivid movement, the tiny boy goes flying though the air, crashing into the side of the sofa._

_ 'YOU FUCKING LITTLE...' Gabe's eyes are narrowed in fury, hatred etched across his face. His irises are a little distorted and his breath stinks of vodka. Four-year-old Percy knows he's too drunk to stop, and the boy is terrified._

_ 'MOMMY-' Gabe claps a bloody, sweaty hand against Percy's mouth, silencing the child. Percy is past all hope of using his brain logically, and even if he could he is only four, so he does what his instincts tell him to do._

_ Gabe howls, letting go of Percy and clutching his stinging hand, glaring angrily at the bite mark. Percy uses this opportunity to run for his life. He's not tall enough to reach the highest lock on the front door, so he'll have to use the fire exit outside the apartment. Shaking in fear, Percy isn't strong enough to push the window open. He crumbles into a nervous wreck beside it, shuddering in terror as he hears Gabe approaching. He looks up and sees a flash of moonlight reflected on something Gabe is carrying. A knife-_

Percy's eyes fly open, his breath coming out in a gasp. The dream is already just a memory in his mind, yet it was so vivid. The worst flashback imaginable.

Now three years later, Percy has stopped believing in the delusion that his mommy is going to come and rescue him every single time Gabe attacks him. After all, he no longer knows Gabe, and how can his mommy do that now she's gone?

Beads of sweat are rolling down Percy's forehead. Everything felt so real in that dream. It was real, once, but that was a long time ago. Percy doesn't like to think about the past.

'Are you awake yet?' comes another young voice, one that Percy recognises. It's older than he remembers, but now he's bigger, too.

The first time Percy Jackson ever caught a glimpse of Jason Grace was when he was two years old, in that weird dream that he didn't remember the next morning. It was another three years before he got to see him again.

Percy hated being in school even more than other kids, mainly because his dyslexia and ADHD made it so hard for him to concentrate. So at the age of five, he often played by himself away from the other kids, even the really friendly ones (well, _one_ really, considering all the others hated him) like Rachel. She often came to see him, but he used to hide, mainly because he was too embarrassed to be seen with her, as the other kids often teased them.

At five years old on one rainy day in July, Percy was casually spending his lunch break building a miniature island in a puddle (naturally pretending the water was the ocean) when he felt a tingle go up his spine. Shivering slightly, the small boy's vision was clouded by one of the last times he'd felt this way.

_A knife-_

_ Glistening in the light flooding through the window-_

_ Soaring towards him-_

_ Oh no-_

_ No no no no no-_

Percy shook his head, clearing the scary vision from his mind, and turned ever so slightly to face the forest beside his small school.

Behind the fence, standing under the shadow of a yew was a magnificent wolf, and memories flooded through Percy's brain, the dream from three years before finally coming back to him.

'Wolfy,' he said, unafraid (mainly because his five-year-old brain had _a lot _of faith in the fence separating him from the animal).

'Hello, Perseus Jackson,' said the wolf in a female voice, easily understandable. From behind her leg came another small boy, the same age as Percy, and he instantly recalled the boy from his dream as well. The boy had neat blonde hair and wore a strange white toga-like garment and a small purple cloak, making him look very odd.

'Lupa?' the boy asked, tugging bravely on her leg fur, something that would take most people a lot of guts, although the wolf did not seem irritated. 'Can I play with him yet?'

'We are not recruiting him so the two of you can play,' Lupa replied, her amber eyes never leaving Percy's face.

'But you said wolf cubs learn through playing,' the boy whined. He almost seemed desperate to make friends with Percy or something, and Percy briefly wondered whether the boy was also lonely (though, appearance-wise, he probably fitted in a lot better than Percy).

'Perseus Jackson is not ready, Jason,' Lupa growled calmly. 'We are merely checking on him.' She then addressed Percy. 'Your fate is secured, child. One day you will be ready.'

Percy tilted his head to the side, curious. Were they going to go now? Before he even got the chance to maybe play with Jason, who seemed like a nice, friendly kid?

Lupa gave him one last proud look, full of might, before she gracefully turned around and headed silently deeper into the forest, her great tail swishing behind her. Jason looked a little miserable as he turned to follow. Before he could completely disappear into the shadows of the dark canopy, he turned around, waved, and mouthed one word: _Bye._

'Bye,' Percy whispered, wondering if this was just one whole big game he had been playing without even realising it.

So, tonight is the third time Percy gets to see Jason Grace again. Percy sits up in bed, his sea green eyes fixed on the blue ones watching him. Lupa is not here, luckily. Percy would probably freak out quite badly if a giant wolf suddenly appeared in his bedroom. But how has Jason gotten in here?

'Hello,' Percy says finally.

'Hello,' Jason replies, fidgeting with the end of the purple cloak he's wearing. It must be a bigger outfit for it to fit him, but it's designed exactly the same as the last one.

Percy carefully rubs his eyes, not quite sure if he's imagining Jason being here. 'Where's the wolf?'

Jason's eyes flicker over to the window. 'She's waiting for us outside. She says you're ready now.'

'Ready for what?' Percy asks. 'Who are you?'

Jason looks back at him a little shyly, although Percy can tell that in normal circumstances, Jason is quite a confident kid. 'I'm Jason. Jason Grace.'

Percy rolls his eyes. 'I know that. I saw you when I was really little, 'cause I had this weird dream about you when you first met the big wolf, and I remember you when you came to my school ages ago.' Percy is only seven. He thinks that two years is ages.

'Lupa said that one day we would have to come and get you. She says that you're special, like me.' Percy scowls, not liking how Jason believes himself to be 'special'. The blonde hurriedly continues, 'That's just what Lupa said. She said we're both important for something. She raised me.'

'Your mommy is a wolf?' Percy asks, leaning forwards over his covers excitedly. 'That's so cool!'

Jason frowns. 'She's not my real mommy.'

'Oh...' Percy draws in a breath of realisation. 'Then, where is your real mommy?'

Jason's blue eyes fall to the ground. 'I don't have one.'

Percy blinks. '… Me neither.'

'I know. Lupa said that you would have to...' Jason's face scrunches up as he tries to remember. '… suffer a great loss.'

Percy is suddenly angry. 'How did she know it was going to happen? Did she make Smelly Gabe do it?'

'Lupa didn't do anything. She just knows about stuff that's going to happen,' Jason says awkwardly. 'Anyway, you need to come with us now.'

Percy's not really sure what's going on. 'I can't. My daddy will worry about me.'

Jason dismisses this quickly. 'He's not your real daddy.'

Percy shrugs. 'I know. But he's a better daddy than Smelly Gabe.'

Percy is referring to the man that took him in and raised him as his son when Percy lost his mother at the age of four. For three years now, Percy has contemplated on how he, Paul and his mommy would be a perfect family, if only his mommy was still with them. Back before the... incident, Percy always liked it when Paul came round for dinner. Sally always liked it too, because Paul was always such a nice man, and he still is. Gabe hated Paul, which was understandable, considering how fond Sally was of Paul. Percy used to wish that Paul could be his stepdad instead of Smelly Gabe.

Percy now understands what the term _Be careful what you wish for _means, because the price he had to pay was his mommy.

Jason breathes in slowly. 'Is 'Smelly Gabe' the one who...?'

Percy nods, not wishing to discuss it any further.

Jason sighs. 'He'll understand. Lupa said she could use the Mist on him.'

Percy's head tilts to the side. 'Mist?'

'She can make him forget you, then he won't worry,' Jason informs him, unaware that there's anything wrong with this.

Percy shakes his head vigorously. 'I don't want Paul to forget about me! He's one of the only people who's nice to me!' Does this mean that they'll make Rachel, his only friend, forget about him too?

'It won't be forever,' Jason says. 'Do you even know what you are?'

'I'm Percy Jackson,' Percy replies stubbornly. 'And I'm not leaving.'

Although Jason is modest, Percy can detect a hint of superiority in his tone next. 'You're like me. We're not like other people. Our daddies are gods.'

'God? You mean Jesus is our brother?'

'Not _that_ god,' Jason corrects him. 'The Roman gods. But Lupa said that you weren't quite like me, because you're not Roman.'

'I'm American,' Percy says, not understanding any of this.

'Your dad is one of the gods,' Jason continues. 'Lupa wouldn't tell me which one, but I know I'm a son of Jupiter.' A small, proud smile crosses the blonde's face, like he's honoured to be the son of... what was it? Jupiter?

'The planet?' Percy says rather stupidly, though to be fair, he is very sleepy and he doesn't have a clue what's going on.

Outside, a deep, ominous growl can be heard, only just within earshot. Percy shivers, suddenly very scared about everything that's happening.

'Lupa wants us to hurry up,' Jason tells him. 'We're taking too long. Come on.'

'I don't want to go,' Percy whispers, wondering if he should call for Paul. He might be able to sort all of this out; after all, he is a grown up.

'Just come. Lupa will tell you everything,' Jason says. 'And maybe... maybe you can be my friend.'

So that's it then. Jason doesn't have any friends. Percy feels an awful lot of pity for him. Percy's not good at making friends either, but at least he has Rachel.

'Your foster dad won't worry about you,' Jason adds. 'And the monsters will stop coming.'

Percy gasps. 'How do you know about the monsters?'

'They don't like me and you,' Jason says. 'They want me too, but Lupa keeps them away. You'll be safe with us.'

Like a family? But Percy already has a family. Yes, it's small (only him and Paul) and yes, his mother's not around any more. Nevertheless, Percy doesn't just want to simply leave it all behind.

'Can I come back?'

'I don't know. Lupa didn't say.'

'How come she can talk? Is she magic?'

'I... I think so. She's a special wolf. She's the one who raised Romulus and Remus.'

Percy's not sure who Romulus and Remus are. He hasn't studied the Romans in school yet, given that he's only seven.

There is another deep growl outside. Lupa is growing impatient.

'We have to go,' Jason says urgently.

Percy thinks about it. Maybe if he goes with them, he won't have to worry about the monsters hurting Paul in an effort to get to him. That makes the deal a lot easier to look at.

'Fine,' Percy says, crossing his arms as he climbs out of bed. 'But you have to tell me everything.'

* * *

Percy's never been horse riding before, and he imagines that it is nothing like this.

Well, his mother once took him to a fair where there were horses, but Percy swears he could hear them talking (even though no one else could understand them).

Well, wolf riding is probably a lot different anyway.

After all the monsters that have come near him over the years, Percy shouldn't be finding Lupa all that intimidating, but there's something in her nature that tells him that she is not someone you should cross. He sits at the front, right next to her shaggy head, and the fur on her ears looks so soft and warm he just wants to stroke them. Jason sits behind him, awkwardly holding onto Percy's back so he doesn't fall off. After all, Lupa is running at breakneck speed, travelling faster than it would be possible for a normal wolf, but the boys are young and so they do not acknowledge this. Percy's not quite sure what to make of his new 'friend'. Jason must have been alone for a long time... or, at least, without human contact.

'Where are we going?' Percy murmurs to Jason, leaning close so they can hear each other over the sound of the wind blowing by.

'The Wolf House,' Jason replies. 'That's where Lupa took me when she first came for me.'

'When we were two? Almost three?'

'I'd just turned two,' Jason confirms. 'Lupa says that all Romans come to her before they join the Twelfth Legion. She hides me whenever one comes by to be trained by her. She says that they can't know about me. I'm not supposed to go to Camp Jupiter, or not yet, anyway. She says that you can't go either. The two of us have to do something else.'

'What is it?'

'I'm not sure what.' Jason looks up at the sky. 'I wish Dad would send a message. A lot of the time when Lupa talks, she doesn't really make sense.' Percy nods, understanding. From what he's asked from Lupa so far, all he's received are cryptic responses.

'Is your dad really... a god?'

'Yeah...' Jason's blue eyes are distant as they flicker around at the stars, tracing constellations. 'Your dad is too.'

'Which planet is your dad again?' Percy asks, grinning.

Jason scowls. 'The planets are named after the gods. My dad is Jupiter, God of the Sky, King of the gods.'

Ah. That would explain his confident attitude.

'Paul's going to think I ran away,' Percy sniffs rather miserably. 'I'm gonna be like that girl who did a runner a few weeks ago... Annabel or something...'

'Annabeth Chase? Lupa talked about her. She said that that girl's like us.'

'Her dad's a god?'

'Her mom. Minerva. But Lupa said it wasn't really Minerva,' Jason whispers. 'The Greek one. Athena.'

Percy rubs his forehead. This is hurting his head.

'I don't think this is supposed to make sense to us,' Jason says, almost apologetically.

* * *

**Seriously, I'm going to keep telling you guys- _please_ review. Any FanFiction author will tell you that reviews fuel us and allow us to keep updating.**

**I have loads of other stories, so don't expect updating to be as often as this. I only managed to update the day after I published this story because I'd already written the second chapter, and I have most of the third ready.**

**Anyway, see you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I appear to be on an updating spree! Word of warning, though, do not expect another chapter any time soon. I have have way too many stories.**

**Anyway, thanks for finally reviewing, but can I have more than two? Please?**

**In this, Annabeth did meet Luke and Thalia, and Grover did find them, but they got split up before they could reach Camp Half-Blood. Thalia and Luke's statuses are to be left unknown. For now.**

**Allons-y!**

* * *

**Three**

'So... so the King of the Gods is both Zeus and Jupiter?' Percy asks as he and Jason lie down on the giant boulders in the sunlight, both resting for a few minutes before they continue on their journey through the forest.

Jason sighs. 'We've been over this before, Percy. Yes, he can be two people at once. Actually, he can be lots of people at once. He's a god, after all.'

'Yeah, but that's so confusing!' Percy exclaims, waving his arms around to exaggerate his point. 'What if the Greek gods and the Roman gods had a war- how would that work?'

Jason shrugs. 'Hopefully it's not possible for them to have a war like that.'

It has been one year since Jason and Lupa recruited Percy into the Wolf House, and like back then when they first properly met, and the time when Percy had his first vision involving Jason, it is early August, just a few days before Percy's birthday and the one of the few points in the year where the two boys are the same age as Jason is almost a year younger than Percy. Right now the two boys are eight years old. During that year, Percy has been taught all about Roman mythology and, to Jason's surprise, the Greek myths too. Lupa has always insisted that the raven-haired boy should know about his heritage, considering he is the child of a Greek god and not a Roman god.

The two have been sent by Lupa into the forest to practice the skills they've learned, like they do almost every day. These days mainly consist of running and occasionally wrestling, but both boys are tired from hiking up this mountain through the forest (which they've been given the task of by Lupa), so they are having a break.

'Jason,' Percy asks after a moment's pause, 'what happened to your family?'

The topic of families is never discussed between them. Percy never wants to talk about what happened in his past, and Jason is also completely secretive. But this question has been gnawing away at him for a long time, and Percy tends to blurt things out because of his ADHD. Jason has ADHD too, but he keeps his under control.

'I don't know,' Jason answers, not taking his eyes off the blue sky above him.

'And what's... Percy racks his brain, trying to remember this reoccurring dream that comes to him every so often, the one that he first saw when he was two but quickly forgot afterwards, until it started coming back about a year ago once he remembered it. 'What's Thalia?'

Jason freezes, his blue eyes open wide in shock. How does Percy know about it?

'I sometimes have that dream again,' Percy admits, answering Jason's inner question. 'That one where you were two and Lupa came for you. You were calling out the word 'Thalia'. What is it?'

'I...' Jason's face grows a little haunted, as if he's remembering something painful. 'I'm not sure. I can't remember my life before Lupa came for me, but I remember one word: _Thalia._ I'm not sure what it is, but it means a lot to me.'

'Have you asked Lupa?' Percy questions him.

'I used to, but... she never gave me a proper answer. You know how strange she can be.'

'Yeah...' Percy is very familiar with Lupa's enigmatic personality.

'Come on. We should hurry up. Lupa said that it shouldn't take us very long to get to the top,' Jason says, pointing further up the mountain.

'Lupa's mean,' Percy complains. 'I'm tired!'

'I don't want her to be disappointed. We said we could get to the top when she asked us if we could manage it,' Jason urges.

'We were wrong,' Percy mumbles, lifting his arm over his eyes to keep the sun from blinding him.

'Percy,' Jason scolds. 'We have to go.'

'Go on without me. I wanna sleep,' Percy replies playfully.

Jason makes a 'tsk' noise and tries pulling Percy off the boulder. The two tumble off into the grass, laughing away as they begin a play fight. When you're raised by a wolf, it's sometimes quite easy to forget that you yourself are not a wolf, and that you should behave like a person.

'Come on,' Jason laughs. 'We have to go now.'

Percy groans. 'Fine!'

'Right- let's go.'

* * *

'Finally!' Percy exclaims, falling to his knees as he looks around from the summit, bewildered that he actually made it to the top. To be fair, he never would have done it if Jason hadn't been constantly telling him that they had to complete the task. Percy has learned that Jason doesn't like breaking the rules and instead likes to complete every task Lupa gives them without stepping out of line. The thing is, Percy just isn't like that. He's not afraid to bend the rules a little, and that's probably because Jason has had a Roman upbringing, whereas Percy is Greek and so doesn't follow Legionary rules.

'I hope my dad isn't Hermes,' Percy grumbles. 'I mean, he's the God of Travelling, and I hate going on long journeys.'

Jason rolls his eyes. 'Come on. We should head back down and find Lupa.'

'We can at least enjoy the view first,' Percy tells him. 'We're really high up!'

'But Lupa will think it took us longer than it actually did...'

'We'll be fine,' Percy says encouragingly. 'Look! You can see a town down there!' He points at the view beneath them on the opposite side of the mountain to the way they came up. Percy hasn't spoken to another human (not counting Jason, as he is part god) for one year now, ever since he was taken away (or kidnapped, as he liked to put it to begin with).

'We could go down there,' Percy suggests. 'We could go and get ice creams and have some fun.'

Jason tilts his head to the side, curious. 'Ice cream? What's that?'

'It's food,' Percy tells him, a little horrified by the idea that his friend has never had ice cream. 'It's really tasty!'

Jason looks hesitant. 'But... Lupa...'

'Don't worry about it,' Percy says excitedly. 'She won't mind. Let's go!'

* * *

As they have no money, Percy quickly snatches a couple of Magnums from a freezer in a supermarket while no one's looking. He's never stolen anything before but he's pretty sure no one will miss two ice creams too much.

He and Jason walk through the streets, licking away at the Magnums. Jason's rather bewildered to be around so many people, and he stares around at all of them, thoroughly interested. As it turns out, he recognises the taste of the chocolate ice cream, which makes it conclude that he must have had it at some point in his life before he was taken away by Lupa. He tries to recall anything of his former life, but no memories arise.

'See?' Percy laughs. 'I told you this would be fun!'

Jason nods. 'Mm hmm. But what about Lupa?'

Percy grins. 'I'll just tell her it was my idea! You won't be in any trouble.'

Jason's not altogether reassured by his friend's bold and noble nature, so he stays silent and continues to focus on trying to remember what his old life was like.

'I... I think Thalia was a person,' Jason says finally. He and Percy have reached a fountain and they sit on the steps beside it, finishing their ice creams.

'Your mom?'

'No. At least, I don't think so.'

'A friend, maybe.'

'Yeah. Maybe.' The two boys watch as the humans all around them go about their ordinary lives, unaware that they are in the presence of two demigods. These people all have their own ordinary problems, but they are nothing in comparison to the woes of a child of a human and a god.

'We should go,' Jason murmurs, feeling a little cold all of a sudden as he thinks about how different he and Percy are from the people around them.

'Huh? But we haven't been here long!' Percy whines in protest.

'Lupa is probably waiting for us-'

'Percy?'

The boys' attentions are snatched quickly away as Percy hears a familiar voice. They turn their heads to the right, facing a girl of their age with frizzy red hair and freckles, wearing a t-shirt with a bright green lizard picture imprinted on it and baggy, ripped jeans. Percy and the girl stare at each other for a second before they let out exclamations of joy.

'Rachel!'

'It is you!'

Percy rises up to hug his old friend, delighted to see her again. Jason stays exactly where he is, watching awkwardly as the two greet each other.

'You've been gone for a year!' Rachel cries. 'I've missed you!'

'I've missed you too,' Percy replies, grinning from ear to ear. 'I, uh, had to move schools really quickly. What are you doing here?'

'I'm on holiday here with my dad,' Rachel answers. She lowers her voice. 'Well, really he's just here on a business meeting like usual, but he let me tag along and he promised he'd take me to the amusement parks, so that's cool!'

Percy looks overjoyed. 'I really wanted to come and visit you. Oh, er, this is Jason. He's my friend.'

Rachel smiles. Percy always had trouble making friends, and it seems like he finally has another friend, other than her.

'Is he... like you?' Rachel asks quietly.

'Huh? What d'you mean?'

'I mean... do the monsters come for him as well?'

Jason's eyes widen. How can an ordinary human girl know about who Percy really is?

Percy laughs nervously. 'Uh, yeah... kinda... but I'm okay now. They can't hurt me anymore.'

Rachel tilts her head. 'Why not?'

'I'm sort of under protection now... most of the time anyway.' Percy pauses and gives her a serious look. 'You still believe me about all that?'

Rachel nods. 'They don't attack me, but I can still see the monsters.'

Jason gasps. 'You're a mortal, though, aren't you?'

Rachel narrows her eyes. 'I'm a human, if that's what you mean. And, yeah, I can see monsters. Mom or Dad can't, but I can.'

Jason looks amazed. 'Lupa never said that there were mortals who can see through the Mist. Wow.'

Rachel blushes slightly. 'Um... yeah...'

'Rachel is my friend from my old school before I moved to your school, Jason,' Percy says, giving the blonde a pointed look.

Rachel just smiles knowingly. 'You didn't really move school, did you?'

Percy stares at her. 'How did you know that?'

'I know you. But it's okay. I know you're now in a place where you're safe from the monsters, and that's all that matters. Here.' She reaches into her jeans pocket and pulls out a pen and a little scrap of paper. Rachel always did keep pencils and paintbrushes with her at all times.

'This is my number,' she says, scrawling out a few numbers on the crumpled piece of paper. 'You're still my best friend, so call me.'

Percy nods, his heart falling inside as he remembers something rather uncomfortable. But he's not going to tell Rachel what it is.

'Rachel!' comes a man's voice, and Percy recognises Rachel's father standing a few feet away, looking impatiently at his daughter, his eyes flickering to the watch on his wrist. 'Come on, I'm going to be late for the meeting.'

'Coming, Daddy,' Rachel calls. She gives Percy and Jason a wink and waves goodbye as she bounds off to her father, apologising for holding him up.

'You... you do know that you won't be able to call her when we get back to Lupa?' Jason says quietly. 'I mean, it's not as if wolves have phones. And Lupa told me that demigods should never use cell phones because it sends up a signal to all the monsters around.'

'I know,' Percy replies miserably.

* * *

Annabeth sobs quietly as the satyr she's with carefully tends to the wound on her arm she gained today fighting a small hellhound. The two of them are sitting around a camp fire in the clearing of the forest them in. It's night time, and aside from the crackling of the fire, the world is silent. It's been months since the incident where she was separated from the two demigods who had found her and looked after her, but she still has the consolation that she has Grover with her. He's a friendly young satyr who's beating himself up quite a lot about the failed mission in which he was supposed to bring one of the three demigods to Camp Half-Blood.

'I miss Thalia and Luke,' Annabeth sniffs, acknowledging that she is supposed to stay strong no matter what.

They were getting close to New York when the group were involuntarily split up by a group of monsters. They'd already been through so much- the Cyclops in the caves had to be the worst- and Grover had told them that Camp Half-Blood was on Long Island. The three demigods were so excited- especially little Annabeth- and they were celebrating what still appeared to be a successful journey...

… when they were attacked.

Whether Thalia and Luke made it to the Camp is unknown. Annabeth and Grover are still running across the country form the dangerous horde of monsters, constantly, painfully aware of how they're heading _away_ from Camp Half-Blood. But Grover's woodland magic is growing stronger, and Annabeth trains everyday with her precious dagger that Luke gave to her when she first met him and Thalia. But Annabeth's always so upset about the fact that she and Grover are heading away from her two demigod friends. They're her family, as far as she's concerned. She feels so lucky that she's still got Grover.

'I know, Annabeth,' the young satyr sighs. 'But all the signs are pointing us this way. I feel this special pull, almost like...' His eyes grow dazed. '… an empathy link. But that's so strange. I was unaware that I had an empathy link with anyone. Plus, the monsters are still chasing us this way-'

'What's an empathy link?' the eight-year-old girl interrupts, tilting her head to the side.

'It's a special connection between two people, often used with satyrs and demigods,' Grover explains. 'It works on emotions and telepathy occasionally, and if one dies, then it will have consequences on the other.' He looks rather worried as he talks about the last part.

'So... what are we going to do?' Annabeth asks.

'I think,' Grover says, 'considering we're actually heading in the correct direction, we should try looking for the demigod in question.'

* * *

**REEEEEEEEEVIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!**

**(Does that illustrate how desperate I am for reviews?)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, that many favourties and follows already? That's only ever happened with one of my other stories before. Thanks, guys!**

**So, does that mean I can expect lots of reviews? Please :3 ?**

* * *

**Four**

As it turns out, Jason and Percy _are_ in trouble for abandoning the task they were given.

Naturally, as he said he would, Percy informs Lupa that it was his idea and that Jason tried to stop him. Lupa nods her head gracefully, always aware of whether the person she is talking to is lying or not. When either of the boys (mainly Percy) have tried to lie to her (seriously not advisable), the look in her eyes clearly shows that she is knows she's not being given the truth.

The three of them stand on the edge of the forest where Percy and Jason have been training for the last couple of months. They had left the Wolf House and moved further north, Percy and Jason unaware why. Lupa says that they are waiting here for something. This has lead the two boys to believe that maybe another demigod is on the way, possibly joining their little group.

'Tomorrow you are working on your battle reflexes,' Lupa informs them, and both boys groan inwardly, mainly because they are so exhausted after today.

'How much longer do we have to stay here?' Percy asks, uncomfortably thinking about the small cave they're currently using as their home.

Lupa raises her head, looking up the mountain the two boys climbed as if she's expecting whatever it is they're waiting for to come down from the mountain right at that moment. 'We shall remain here a while longer.'

'Great,' Percy mutters, and Jason nudges him.

* * *

'Hello,' Annabeth whispers, trying not to wake Grover up.

She and him have made camp below a little ridge, providing shelter from the rain that has just arrived. Underneath the rock is their small camp fire, protected from the water by the little shelter. Grover is fast asleep, having finally dozed off from exhaustion, but Annabeth is wide awake, too scared to sleep because she knows the nightmares will come for her. Plus, it's a good idea if one of them keeps watch. They've been ambushed too many times by monsters, and saying they're slightly paranoid is an understatement.

Annabeth crouches down by the fire, watching as a small girl of around the same age smiles up at her from deep within the flames, obviously something supernatural. At first, Annabeth is scared. Pretty much anything of the supernatural world wants to kill her and Grover, so she feels right to be wary. So what if the person in front of her looks like an innocent eight-year-old? She's sitting in a fire!

But Annabeth feels strangely calm and peaceful. It's as if she can sense no evil intent behind this little girl's fiery eyes, which makes a nice change. The smile she's being sent is not menacing but friendly. But Annabeth knows not to underestimate this girl, nevertheless. She can feel the power radiating from the small figure in the fire, and concludes that she only chooses to appear of that age, and that she is probably immortal.

'Hello, Annabeth Chase,' the girl replies, and Annabeth flinches, not like hearing the sound of her surname, because it reminds her of her family.

'Are you a goddess?' Annabeth asks after a moment's thought, wondering whether she should wake Grover up.

The girl nods. 'Indeed I am. I am Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth.'

Annabeth immediately remembers this goddess. Thalia and Luke explained as much as they could about Greek Mythology to the younger girl while they were travelling together. This is the goddess who gave up her Olympian throne for Dionysus, the God of Wine. Annabeth doesn't really understand why (not that she wants to insult Dionysus or anything).

'You have come very far,' Hestia notes. 'It is quite remarkable, really.'

'Grover's been looking after me,' Annabeth mumbles.

Hestia nods, pleased with the humbleness of Annabeth's comment.

'Is... is Athena really my mom?' Annabeth asks hesitantly, still unsure about the whole situation.

Hesita smiles. 'You're a smart girl. What do you think?'

Annabeth closes her eyes and tries to picture her mother in her head. Her father doesn't have the startling grey eyes that Annabeth does. Perhaps she inherited that from Athena.

'Um, Lady Hestia... if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me whether my friends Luke and Thalia are okay?' Annabeth says.

Hestia sighs. 'I am sorry, child. They are hidden from my sight. One of the twelve Olympians, perhaps Hermes or Zeus, might know.'

'Could I have an audience with them?' Annabeth questions, fearing the answer.

Hestia gives a small laugh. 'I'm afraid the major gods will not grant your wish. Zeus has forbidden the gods to have contact with their children, and even if it were possible, Hermes is constantly busy as the God of Travel and Messengers, and Zeus being the king will never have to time for it.'

'Oh,' Annabeth says unhappily, her head bending down.

'Do not despair,' Hestia says kindly. 'You can still have what you want; there are other demigods out there who feel alone in the world. You have the chance of making a family together.'

'But where are they?' Annabeth asks.

Hestia reaches out from the fire and rests a comforting hand on Annabeth's right arm. The blonde girl expects it to be burning hot, but it's nice and warm, just the right temperature. 'Could I ask a favour of you, Annabeth?'

Annabeth lifts up her head, confused. 'Yes, Lady Hestia?'

Hestia closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. 'You are not the only demigod in this area. There are two others that have been specifically brought here by their father himself. His magic does not extend much beyond his realm, so it is rather difficult for him to keep his children safe now, despite having kept them safe so far in a special hiding place. But they could no longer stay there, as it is time for them to begin their own journey. He sent a message to Olympus via Hermes in the hope that one of the gods up there may take pity on the half-bloods, but Zeus turned a blind eye.'

'Why would he do that?' Annabeth says a little angrily. 'That's horrible!'

Hestia sighs. 'The King of the Gods has his reasons. In any case, a few of the gods decided that despite the fact that these children are rather powerful demigods and could even be considered a threat, it would only be fair if we were to give them a chance. I volunteered to come down from Olympus and try to help them, as I am not exactly a busy god.'

'Am I meant to find them?' Annabeth asks.

'If that is what you wish to do,' Hestia replies, smiling.

'I'll help them,' Annabeth decides, sounding very determined. 'Then we can all fight monsters together and protect each other.'

This rather motivational moment is ever so slightly ruined and reduced to anticlimax when Grover mutters, '… Enchiladas...' quite loudly in his sleep. Annabeth gives a small giggle, excitement coursing through her.

'What are they like?' she asks Hestia. 'Who's their godly parent?'

'They're both younger than you,' Hestia answers. 'The girl is seven and the boy is five. They are unaware of their true identities. The two are protected, although this is temporary and they will need the guidance of you and Grover Underwood if they are to survive.'

Annabeth notices that Hestia avoids answering her question about the godly parent, but decides to drop it as it seems Hestia is not going to tell her. 'What are they called?'

Hestia fiddles with a burning twig, watching Annabeth closely with her warm, fiery eyes. 'Their names are Bianca and Nico di Angelo.'

* * *

Grover chokes on his soda can the next morning when Annabeth tells him the news.

He is just casually chewing the aluminium (as satyrs tend to do), and when Annabeth mentions the visit from Lady Hestia he is shocked.

'The Goddess of the Hearth came to talk to you?!' he exclaims.

'Mm,' Annabeth replies with a nod, biting down on an Oreo from one of the few stolen food packets they have in the rucksacks.

'What did she want?'

'She said that there are two demigods nearby and we're supposed to find them,' Annabeth replies, staring at the dying embers of the camp fire as if expecting Hestia to reappear. 'Bianca and Nico di Angelo.'

'Their godly parent?'

'Lady Hestia didn't say.'

'Wow...' Grover takes in a deep breath, his eyes wide. 'A visit from a goddess... Where exactly are they?'

After Hestia announced the names of the demigods, she explained to Annabeth that if she and Grover were to continue on their journey, they will be drawn to the other two demigods.

'So we just have to keep travelling in the same direction?' Grover says excitedly. 'Man, I hope we don't miss them! And if they're still being protected we might not have to do any fighting or anything!'

Annabeth doubts this. Demigods just simply aren't lucky like that.

'Do you think one of them is the demigod who has the empathy link with you?' she questions.

'I don't know, maybe. Let's just hope we get to them in time. We should leave pretty soon; I was chatting to a squirrel earlier and he was convinced that it's going to rain today...'

Annabeth's attention drifts away as she begins to wonder whether these new demigods will fill in the empty whole that Luke and Thalia filled before the seperation. Will Bianca be like Thalia? Will Nico be like Luke? Sure, these kids are younger, but Annabeth can't help but be hopeful. And maybe, one day, they'll all be able to reunite with Luke and Thalia and they'll all be one big happy family, safe from the monsters.

* * *

'Percy!' Jason barks. 'What are you doing?!'

'Come watch this!' Percy replies gleefully. 'It's really cool!'

Jason slides down a bank next to a clump of trees, staring at his friend who is currently sitting down with his arms propping him up from behind, right in the middle of a wide stream, clothes still on and everything.

'You're going to be freezing!' Jason yells over the sound of the water trickling by.

'It's not cold at all!' Percy laughs. 'I'm not even getting wet!'

'What?'

'Look.' Percy pushes himself to his feet and holds his arms out so Jason can see. The jeans and white t-shirt Percy is wearing are completely dry, and as Percy lifts one of his feet out the water Jason can see that neither his sock or his shoe are wet, either.

'How are you doing that?' Jason asks, bewildered.

'I fell in,' Percy mutters sheepishly, and Jason rolls his eyes at his friend's clumsiness. 'But I really didn't want to get wet, and then I realised that I was still dry. But I can get wet if I want to. It's like I can control it.'

'Why would you want to get wet?' Jason mutters sceptically.

'Look what happens when I do get wet.' Percy reaches down with his hand, and Jason can clearly see a cut Percy acquired earlier when they were pushing though brambles in an effort to reach the top of the mountain. As Jason watches, he can see the water begin to trickle up his arm (because screw gravity). Some magic power is clearly being used here. The water reaches the cut and the small red line begins to fade away to nothing.

'Whoa!' Jason exclaims.

'I know, right?!' Percy grins. 'See if it works for you!'

Jason steps over to the waters edge and tentatively reaches down with his hand, thinking, _I want to stay dry. _Instead, his hand dips into the icy water and he retracts it quickly, only to find it dripping and thoroughly wet.

'Didn't work,' Jason mutters, a little disappointed.

'Maybe you should ask the naiads,' Percy suggests. 'They might be the reason I'm all dry.'

'Did_ you_ ask them?'

'Uh... no. I didn't really have time while I was falling in.'

Jason watches the water as he puts his hand in again, wondering if it could heal a bruise he obtained today just above his right elbow. But the water does not begin to seep up his arm, and instead it just continues to flow around his hand. Jason bites his lip, trying desperately not to feel a little jealous of Percy.

'How come you can do it?' he asks, trying not to whine as he attempts to mask his envy.

'Maybe the naiads just like me,' Percy says innocently, staring around as he expects to see smiling faces under the water.

* * *

_No no no no no-_

_ A horrified scream, full of anguish-_

_ And there she is, flying out of the darkness to shield him, her breath transforming into a agonising gasp as the cold, steel sharpness of the blade disappears from Percy's sight, as his mother is in the way. Did she stop it from hitting him? Yes, he's not hurting. Did she stop it from hitting... hitting..._

_ … herself?_

_ 'M-Mommy?_

_ Gabe gives a drunken roar and slams his free hand into Sally's face, throwing her aside so there is once again nothing between him and the tiny boy he is trying to erase._

_ Percy watches the scene as if it is in black and white and very, very slow. Sally slams into the wall to the left of him, her black up against it, her face twisted in pain-_

Percy's eyes fly open. He leaps immediately to his feet, ready to rush over to his mother right at this very moment. His eyes scan the cave he is in and then it dawns on him that he was merely dreaming. He slides down the ragged cave wall, a head rush from his sudden motion and the sheer horror from the nightmare rendering him unable to stand for a few seconds. He takes deep breathes in and out before remembering that there are others in the cave and he might be disturbing their slumbers.

Jason is still fast asleep on his sheepskin bed sheet, breathing in and out through his mouth quietly. It is clear that any dream he might be having is peaceful. Percy stares over to the spot near the entrance to the cave where Lupa usually sleeps, but the giant wolf is nowhere to be seen.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Percy steps over to the cave's entrance and stares down the slope beneath it, wondering whether Lupa has gone hunting or something. But she can't of gone far- there's no way she would have left the two sleeping demigods so defenceless.

'Any reason why you are awake, Perseus?' comes Lupa's deep, calm voice from his right. He turns to see her standing beside the cave's entrance, her head facing further up the mountain.

'Bad dream,' Percy mumbles.

Lupa bows her head. 'You believe your past is troubling, but what is yet to come will always be the true horror.'

_Great, _Percy thinks to himself miserably. _More bad stuff. Just what I need._

'What about Jason? Are bad things gonna happen to him, too?'

'The future for both of you is vast and troubling,' Lupa murmurs.

Percy sighs and stares up the mountain where Lupa was previously gazing up at. 'What are we waiting for? Other half-bloods?'

Lupa does not answer, but instead focuses her glowing amber eyes on the summit once more.


End file.
